Aberdeen man enters rape, incest pleas

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An Aberdeen man accused of rape and incest pleaded not guilty on Thursday to 18 sexual abuse-related charges.

A court trial will be scheduled for Richard P. Mette, 41, who remains in the Brown County Jail.

Mette, who was arrested last month, is charged with four counts of aggravated incest, seven counts of rape, five counts of sexual contact with a child younger than age 16, one count of indecent exposure involving a child and one count of sexual exploitation of a minor. All of the charges are felonies.

The alleged misconduct lasted from February 2003 through February 2007.

Rape involving a child younger than 13 has a maximum penalty of life in prison and a $50,000 fine and, upon conviction of a single count, a mandatory minimum of 15 years in state prison. The aggravated incest and sexual contact charges each have a maximum penalty of 15 years in state prison and a $30,000 fine. Sexual contact with a child younger than 13 has a mandatory minimum of 10 years in prison.

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Dressed in an orange jail jumpsuit, Mette answered "not guilty" 18 times as Judge Jack Von Wald explained details about the charges and asked him for pleas.